February 21

Burning out for God.

Today: Lev 1, 2, 6
Tomorrow: Lev 3, 4, 5

If there is one theme that we have seen throughout our Bible reading this year it is that people’s passion for God runs hot and cold. It’s like buying a membership at Planet Fitness. We purchase the membership and go for the first two weeks, then we start to slack off. “You know it’s so cold out today,” “my knee hurts a little,” “there is a rerun on the WB that I just have to see,” a million excuses, but the result is the same, we fail to keep the fire burning brightly for our physical heart. The same is true for our spiritual heart. At the beginning of the year we are faithful to open the Word and read it everyday. But then the excuses start to pop up. There are a million of them, but before you know it, the fire has gone out for the Lord. Anyone who has ever built a fire knows it is a lot easier to add fuel periodically and stir the embers than to let the fire go out and have to start all over again. Spiritually God wants us to keep the fire going.

Leviticus 6:13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

God wants us to keep our passion for him burning brightly. Don’t let the fire go out. By nourishing the fire everyday we can keep it burning brightly. Here are some reminders on how to do it....

1. This is all about connecting with God. I do not want to go into my day without a word from Him. Hearing God’s voice is the top priority of my day. This is the reason I am alive.

2. To hear God’s voice I must be quiet. He does not shout, he whispers. I need quiet and uninterrupted time with him.

3. I need accountability. We are designed for community. When we take the journey together we are much more likely to finish it. Every Monday I am going to ask you to send me an email. When I don’t hear from you I am assuming you have let the fire go out. This accountability is designed to help you finish the race.

4. The law of entropy applies to our hearts. All fires go out unless they are diligently attended. This is work, this is sacrifice, this will cost me something, but in the end it will be worth it all.

Thought for the day: If I’ve let the fire go out, what is stopping me from getting back on track today?